Together Again
by lilyfan06
Summary: James is forced to break up with Lily, and he crushes both of them. Lily leaves the country, but is convinced to come back a year later – but James is with someone else. How will destiny bring them together again? Read on to find out!
1. The Last Time

A/N: I've had the idea for this story for a while now, but I wanted to get farther in my other two before I started a new one. By the way, this is M for sexual content and language now and later on. Also, I've just decided to eliminate Peter cause it's just easier that way. Please review!!

Chapter 1

The Last Time

Lily Evans felt like the luckiest woman in the world. She and her boyfriend, James Potter, had been together for over two years and they were madly in love. It didn't matter that the wizarding world was plunged in the middle of the war against Voldemort, that it wasn't safe to walk down the street alone, or that seeing a strange face made you look over your shoulder for the rest of the day. When she was with James, all that seemed to disappeared.

Sunlight was streaming into Lily's bedroom. James was already awake, but hadn't moved much. She was lying across his chest, and since he didn't want to wake her up, he had been watching her sleep for the past few minutes. He loved the way she looked first thing in the morning. Her dark red hair was flowing down her back, and the sunlight was hitting her just right just so that her skin seemed to glow. And, not to mention of course, she was completely naked.

Lily's brilliant emerald eyes fluttered open and immediately met James's own hazel ones. "Good morning," she said softly.

"You too." He leaned forward and kissed her.

Once they broke apart, Lily asked, "What time is it?"

"Early," he replied with a slight smirk on his handsome face.

"And just how much time do we have," she said in a seductive voice as she slowly ran her hand over his tight abs. That was all it took. In one swift move, he flipped her on her back and leaned over her.

"We have plenty of time,"

000

Sometime later, James was changing his clothes his apartment he shared with Sirius. He was digging around in his wardrobe for a clean pair of socks when he found a small, velvet box. Knowing exactly was inside, he sighed as he opened it to reveal the impressive diamond engagement ring that he had bought last week. It had a large diamond in the middle, with two slightly smaller diamonds on each side.

He closed the box and put it in his pocket. Tonight was an anniversary of sorts for James and Lily. And if James had his way, it would be one that she would never forget.

000

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Rachel said playfully as Lily walked into St. Mungo's fifteen minutes late. Rachel Johnson, with her light blonde hair and deep blue eyes, had been Lily's best friend since they had first gone to Hogwarts. Even now, they still remained best friends because they worked so closely as fellow Healers.

Lily just smiled back. "Very little could ruin my mood right now, so go on...make all the jokes you want."

"I take it James put you in a good mood last night,"

"And this morning,"

They started laughing as they made there way to the hall they worked. They were reviewing some of the charts when Rachel asked, "So what are you doing tonight?" even though she knew exactly what James was planning.

"All I know is that James is coming over again tonight, but he won't tell me what we're doing. Today is kind of an anniversary for us, so I don't know what he has planned."

"But I thought you're second anniversary was, like, three months ago,"

Lily grinned. "Well, it's a _different _kind of anniversary,"

"Oh, I see," Rachel said, finally understanding, "you've been having sex for two years,"

"Yeah. What are you up to tonight?"

"Well, my sister is getting married next week so, being the amazing maid of honor that I am, I'm taking her and the rest of the bride's maids out to a Muggle club,"

Lily nodded. "I guess we need to get to work. See you for lunch?"

"See ya then,"

000

James walked through the rows of Auror cubicles, trying to avoid his boss, Rufus Scrimgeour, because he was late. He finally sat down at his own desk when Sirius's head came around the corner, "Well Mr. Prongs, you must have had a good time last night if you're twenty minutes late," he said, teasing his best friend.

"Scrimgeour hasn't been around, has he?"

"Not yet...so did you ask Lily anything last night between your sexual escapades?"

"Not yet, but I will tonight." Sirius gave James a thumbs up before he went back to his own cubicle.

James looked around his desk...a letter address to Mr. James Potter lay next to a picture he had of him and Lily. When he took the letter out of the envelop two pictures fell onto the desk, though they fell unnoticed by James.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We know a lot about you. We know that your father has been ill for some time now. We know that your best friend is your room mate, Sirius Black. We also know that you and a certain Mudblood by the name of Lily Evans have been an item for over two years. It is an unspeakable crime for you, a descendent of one the most prestigious pure blood families, to be with a mere Mudblood. And for that, you must be taught a lesson. We even know where she lives. If you look at the pictures we've sent, you'll see that we are not lying. If you want Ms. Evans to live through the night, we suggest that you listen to what we have to say. _

_If you end your relationship with Ms. Evans in one week or less, she will live. If you do not, she will be kidnaped, tortured, and mutilated beyond recognition so much that not even you will be able to recognize her body. _

– _The Death Eaters_

James stared at the letter, a numbness settling over him. He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't. It was then that he saw the pictures that they were talking about in the letter, lying face down on his desk. Afraid of what he would see, he picked them up anyway. The first one was of him and Lily eating diner at her flat. It looked like it had been taken from outside one of her windows. The second was also of him and Lily. But in this picture looked like it had been taken that very morning. This picture, like the first, looked like it had been taken from out of a window.

He carefully folded the letter and put it and the pictures in his robes. He took out a quill and spare piece of parchment and scribbled a note that read,_ the Marauder's old haunt. Six o'clock, tonight. _James stood up, tossed the note right in front of Sirius, and walked away. He put a charm on his face that made him look pale, found Scrimgeour, made up a lie that he was sick, and went back to his apartment. Once there, he locked the door, windows, and pulled the curtains. He flopped on the couch, and tried to think. But he couldn't sit for long. He got up and started to pace the floor.

This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. He loved Lily more than anything else...how could he simply break up with her because of a threat? He had promised to never hurt her, and that would crush her. Not to mention, it would kill him as well. How could he even think of living without her? That's why he bought the ring, because he wanted to spent the rest of his life with her. The same thoughts circled in his head until it was nearly six o'clock. He Disapparated to where he was meeting Sirius.

_The Marauder's old haunt, _James thought as he looked around the Shrieking Shack. While most of the wizarding world thought that this place was home to violent spirits, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter knew better. This was the place where Remus transformed in a werewolf every full moon while they were at school, and where his best friends transformed into their Animagi forms.

"Is that you, Prongs?" called a voice from upstairs.

"Yeah, Padfoot, it's me," James said as he when upstairs into a bedroom with a large four poster bed.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked. "Your not getting nervous about proposing, are you?"

James nearly laughed. "I wish," he took out the letter and handed it to Sirius.

When he finished, he gave it back to James with a shocked expression on his face. "Holy shit," was all he said.

"No kidding," They fell silent.

"The letter said something about pictures..." Sirius said.

James nodded and pulled one of the pictures – the one of him and Lily eating – out of his pocket and let Sirius look at it.

"And the other?"

"Let's just say that it's a bit more...revealing...than that one,"

Sirius grinned.

James rolled his eyes. "This isn't funny. What am I suppose to do?" By now, he was getting desperate.

"Have you told anyone else?"

"No,"

"It sounds like they've been watching you for a while...and they don't sound like they are going to stop anytime soon...But I honestly don't have the slightest idea of what to tell you."

000

Well over an hour later, James knocked on Lily's apartment door. In nearly killed him to see her face light up when she answered the door.

"There you are," she said as she threw her arms around him. "I was getting worried,"

"It's okay...I just got held up at work,"

"Well, come on in,"

That night, as much as killed him, James did not propose to the love of his life. Instead, he spent the night worshiping Lily – kissing, touching, tasting, memorizing every inch of her body...because he knew it would be the last time.


	2. Goodbye Love

A/N: Thanks to everyone that reviewed! I have the next two chapters finished, but I'm going to need some more reviews from my lovely readers before I update again. I just started my new semiester this week and it's not going to be an easy one, but I'm going to try my hardest to make time to write. Don't forget to review!!!

Chapter 2

Goodbye Love

Rachel looked up from the chart she was reviewing when she heard footsteps coming closer. It was Lily, who smiled as her. But it wasn't the face of someone who just got engaged. Rachel looked at Lily's left hand...there was no ring on it.

"What wrong?" Lily asked.

"Wh – oh, nothing, nothing," Rachel replied, making a mental note to talk to James. "So, how was your night?"

"Great," said Lily, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Okay, spill," Kacey said seriously.

"There's nothing to spill,"

"Bullshit, I've been you're best friend for years, you can't hide anything from me."

"It's just – last night – James was acting...odd,"

"Was he not being very...attentive?"

"Oh, no – just the opposite, in fact – but he just seemed different. Like something was bothering him."

Now Rachel understood...James was just nervous about proposing. "I'm sure it's nothing," she said kindly.

Lily sighed. "You're right, I'm just worrying to much."

"What else is new?" Rachel mumbled. Lily hit her arm playfully.

000

The next week was absolute hell for James. He tried to put some distance between him and Lily, but it was killing him. Finally, he had two days left...and he knew what he had to do.

He sent Lily an owl when he was at work, saying that he needed to talk to her. James had gotten off work twenty minutes ago – and had been pacing outside of Lily's apartment for the last twenty minutes. How could he do this?

Finally, he knocked on the door. His heart ached to see Lily's smiling face answer the door.

"Hey," she said as she kissed him. _This is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, _James thought bitterly as she pulled him into her kitchen. "You want some eggs?" she said, gesturing to the frying pan that was sitting on her stove.

"You're having eggs for dinner?"

"Yeah," she replied as she turned down the heat on the stove. "So...what did you want to talk about?" she looked excited; her green eyes were lit and she was smiling brightly.

James took a deep breath before he took a step closer to Lily. "These past two years have been the happiest of my life. But last week, I realized something. But before I tell you...I just want you to know that I don't want to hurt you, Lily...that's the last thing I want to do."

"James," she said softly, putting her hand on his. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath and looked at his feet before he quietly said, "I don't love you anymore,"

Lily pulled her hand back as if she had been shocked. He looked up to see hurt, betrayal, and anger shine through her green eyes as she backed away from him, nearly colliding with the stove.

"_What?_"

"I told you that I didn't what to hurt you, but I can't lead you on anymore."

Lily's bottom lip quivered before she turned her back to James. Tears fell down her eyes as she gripped the counter for support. "Is there someone else?" she asked barely above a whisper.

"No." _And there never will be, _he thought sadly.

Suddenly, Lily's emotions shifted from sadness to pure anger. "Get out of here, James." she said in a deadly calm voice.

"Lil–"

She grabbed the frying pan and threw it at James, missing his head by a mere few inches. "Get out!"

He wanted to tell her the truth, wanted nothing more than to tell her that he did love her...but now, at the very least, she would be safe. He gave her one last look before he Disapparated. Lily stood there, shaking from head to foot. She stumbled over the egg splattered floor and collapsed on the couch as she sobbed.

000

Rachel was beginning to panic. She hadn't seen Lily in two days, not even at St. Mungo's. Fearing the worst, she knocked on Lily's door. No answer. She knocked again, this time with more force. Again, there was no answer. She tried the door, and was surprised that it was open.

"Lily?" she called.

"I'm in here," Rachel heard her friend reply from her bedroom.

She walked into Lily's room, but all she saw was a pile of unmade covers on Lily's bed. But when she saw that they were moving slightly, Rachel pulled back the covers, and was surprised by what she saw. There was her best friend, curled up in bed, with red, puffy eyes. Her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in a few days; in fact, she looked as thought she hadn't moved from that spot in a few days.

"What's wrong, babe?" Rachel said gently as she sat on Lily's bed.

"James broke up with me,"

Rachel's mouth hung open in shock. "_What?_"

Lily sat up and told Rachel everything that James had said those two days ago as she choked back tears.

"So you've been here ever since?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah...I don't even have motivation to get out of bed, eat, anything. I'm crushed...I–I can't believe he could do something like that...How do you wake up one morning and not love someone anymore?" Lily said before she burst into tears.

Rachel hugged her friend. "I don't know Lily, I don't know."

000

Lily had called of the next week off from work, trying to pull herself together. Everyday, Rachel would come over to Lily's apartment to check on her, bring her food, and so on. By now, Lily had finally gotten out of bed, but still lounged in her pajamas and had not left her place. And while she was eating, usually it was chocolate, ice cream, or any combination.

Rachel felt terrible for Lily. She couldn't understand why James was planning on proposing to her one week and completely ended things the next, but she was going to find out.

She walked determinately through the Ministry of Magic, towards the Auror Department. But before she could get there, she saw James and Sirius walking out in the corridor and went right up to them.

"Hey, Rachel," Sirius said, "Long time no–"

But he stopped in mid-sentence because she and walked straight up to James and smacked him across his face.

"What was that for?" James asked as he rubbed his cheek.

"How could you wake up one day and decide that you didn't love her anymore?!"

"Do you think this has been easy on me?"

"Well, considering that you were the one that ripped her heart out–"

"You don't think that it killed me to do what I did?"

"Then why did you do it?"

James looked at Sirius, who nodded briefly before he turned back to Rachel. "Come with me, and I'll explain everything," he said quietly.

000

"Next!"

Lily stepped forward, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. It had all of her clothes, shoes, toothbrush, and her other necessities – all minimized so they fit in her bag.

"Can I help you?" a young blonde asked Lily.

"Where is your next flight to the States?"

The blonde typed on her computer before she said, "New York City in three hours. Would you like to reserve a seat?"

"Yeah," Lily nodded. "I'll take a one–way ticket,"

000

Rachel sat in a stunned silence as James's apartment as he finished telling her the _real _reason he had broken up with Lily.

"So they would have killed her?" she asked.

James nodded. "She might be miserable and she might hate me for the rest of her life, but at least she's safe...that's all that matters."

_He must really love her if he's putting her safety in front of their happiness, _she thought sadly. "James...I know this is just as hard on you as it is on her, but you should at least talk to her,"

"I can't do that. First of all, she threw a frying pan at my head – which came about an inch from hitting its target. Second, the Death Eaters are probably still watching her...if I go over there, they could kill her."

"Let me talk to her...I'll tell her everything, and maybe we can think of something."

James still wasn't sure if this was a good idea. "Just be careful, okay?"

She smiled and left.

000

"Lily!" Rachel called as she opened the door to her best friend's apartment...but she wasn't there. She looked through most of the apartment, noticing that the bedroom was nearly empty. Had Lily decided to go on a vacation or something? Could she be at her Mum's house? But then why was _everything_ gone. Rachel was just about to leave when an envelope with her name on it caught her attention. She recognized it immediately as Lily's handwriting.

_Dear Rachel, _

_I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. You have been my best friend since we were eleven...which is why I'm telling you instead of anyone else. Goodbye._

_And, no, this is not a suicide note. Do you think I'm so upset over Potter that I would actually kill myself? Anyway, the point is that I'm moving...as far away as I can._

_Please, do not – I repeat, do not – try to find me. To be honest, I'm not even sure where I'm going. I've packed most of my things – I'm sure by now you've noticed my apartment is practically empty. I don't know when, or if, I'll come back. Right now, I need...a change. And as much as I don't want to...I need to move on with my life, and I can't do that in England. _

_I promise to owl you when I get settled. I miss you already!_

_Love,_

_Lily_


	3. Homecoming

A/N: I'm so glad that so many people have reviewed! Whoot, Hoot, Whoot, Yay! Keep it up! (sorry if I sounded like a cheerleader for a minute)

Chapter 3

Homecoming

It was a bitter cold day – even for January – Lily thought as she made her way through one of the not–so–nicer parts of the city. She pulled her coat closer to her with a smile; even after being in New York for over a year, she still missed London's winter. Finally, she reached her graffiti painted building, climbed the three flights of stairs and entered her apartment.

She lit up a cigarette and sighed. One day she'd quit. _Just not today, _she though as she took another drag. But as the smoke billowed out of her mouth, she heard someone behind her say, "Hello, Lily,"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. She whipped around and saw, to her immense shock...

"P–Professor Dumbledore?"

He smiled. "Surprised to see me?"

"Well, considering that Rachel is the only one who knows where I live..." she said, slightly recovering from the shock. She suddenly realized that this _was _Albus Dumbledore that was standing in her apartment, without a doubt the most powerful wizard she had ever met. She put out her cigarette and said, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

000

_I can't believe it, I still can't believe it, _she thought as she stared out of the plane's window. _I can't believe I'm back. _Her flight was about to land in London and Rachel was picking her up.

Really, she would have been stupid to not take her old Headmaster's offer. First he had explained that he was starting a secret society – the Order of the Phoenix, he called it – to help fight against Voldemort, and he wanted her to join. Without a second thought, she had wanted to join. Even though she had been gone for a year, she was still up to date on the war – she still had a subscription to the _Daily Prophet_. The only problem was that she did not want to go back to England if she could avoid it. That was when Dumbledore had made his offer – he had pulled a few strings and St. Mungo's had already hired her, paying nearly twice what she was making now.

She couldn't refuse.

The plane landed and Lily breathed easier. She wasn't a big fan of flying, whether it be in an airplane or on a broom. She gathered her things and headed out to the terminal. Shortly after, she heard Rachel call her name. She spun around and flung her arms around her best friend.

"I've missed you so much!" Rachel said as she and Lily pulled apart.

"Me too!"

They made small talk until they were far enough away from the Muggles to Disapparate to Rachel's apartment. She showed Lily to her spare bedroom and helped her with unpack. They made some coffee and sat in the living room.

"So when do you start at St. Mungo's again?" Rachel asked.

"Tomorrow,"

"You know, I'm gonna miss being on the same floor as you."

"I know, we always had so much fun, but I've really grown to love the maternity floor."

"You never told me what made you want to work in that department."

Lily took a sip out of her mug and set it on the coffee table. "When I moved to New York, the only place they where hiring was on their maternity floor, and I was so desperate for a job I was willing to work anywhere. But after a while I really enjoyed it – you know, working with the newborns and new mums. I've already spoken with the Heads of the department here, and they've said that after two weeks, I'm going to be training someone. She's only a few months into her training but has decided to specialize in obstetrical healing, so she'll be under my wing for the next six months."

Rachel laughed. "It'll take you at least three weeks to get your own routine down, so good luck training someone new."

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it."

Rachel was dying to ask Lily something, yet she was unsure how to approach it.

"Lil, you haven't been in contact with any of our _other _friends, have you?"

Lily pushed a strand of her dark red hair behind her ear. "Remus wrote to me a few weeks after I left, and I've kept in contact with him, but I haven't heard anything from – the others."

Rachel nodded. Lily was still not ready to talk about _him_ yet, and she would give her all the time she needed.

000

Lily had been working in the maternity ward for a little over three weeks. She had delivered thirty–six babies with little complications. All in all, things were going good. She had just finished her latest shift and she and the girl she had been training were on their way out of the hospital. Ashley Miller, a small framed blonde that was a good four inched shorter than Lily, was quite nice, even though she could be a bit – airy – at times. And she loved to talk about her boyfriend, which she had been doing for the past few minutes.

"I'm sorry," Lily said when Ashley took a breath, "What did you say his name was?"

"James, but I always call him Jamie," she smiled as she continued her story.

Lily heart skipped a beat. _Surely not,_ she prayed as they got to the main floor of St. Mungo's. _I mean, James_ is_ a very common name._ She dismissed the idea as quickly as it came.

"Do you have any plans tonight?"

"Well," Lily said, "I'm going to go down to the Diagon Alley and pick up a few quills and some potions ingredients.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you," Lily said as they parted ways.

She walked down to the Leaky Cauldron, which really wasn't too far from St. Mungo's. It wasn't two minutes after she had set foot in the pub when she heard some one call. "It can't be Lily Evans."

Lily froze; she knew that voice. She turned to see none other than Remus Lupin.

"Hey, Remus," she said as she walked across the pub and hugged him.

"I thought I'd heard that you were back."

"Yeah, here I am."

"You staying with Rachel?"

"Yeah, until I can find my own place. So how is everyone?"

Remus paused momentarily before he said, "Great, just great."

Lily nodded. "Well, I'd better get going – it was great to see you again."

"Yeah, you too."

They hugged again before they took their separate ways.

000

Without hesitating to knock, Remus entered James and Sirius's flat.

"Hey Moony," they both replied, each with a bottle of butterbeer.

"You alright?" Sirius asked when Remus as he sat next to him. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well, I kind of did. You'll never guess who I just saw in the Leaky Cauldron."

"Who?" James asked as he raised his bottle to his lips.

"Lily."

James immediately began to choke on his drink. After Sirius gave him a hard thump on the back, James managed to say, "Are you shitting me?"

"No."

James opened his mouth to reply, but someone was knocking at the door. "I'll get it,"

It was Ashley, his girlfriend of four months.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked as she kissed him.

"What?"

"We're all suppose to go out for drinks tonight, remember?"

Of course James remembered. He had been the one who suggested that they, Sirius, and Remus go out so they could get to know Ashley better. Since she and James had started dating, friends had avoided her as much as humanly possible, and it was no secret why. When James and Lily had dated, they had grown to love Lily as a sister and when she had left, they were nearly as crushed as James had been. And they were not about to let some other girl take Lily's place.

"Oh, um, yeah, let's go."

As they all headed out the door, Ashley asked, "Where do you guys want to go?"

Sirius replied, "How about the Leaky Cauldron?"

000

Lily walked back into the Leaky Cauldron, a few shopping bags in her hands. She was nearly half way across the pub when she heard a familiar, bubbly voice say, "Hey Lily."

"Oh, hey, Ashley. What are you doing here?"

"My boyfriend, his friends, and I wanted to go have a drink. Would you like to join us?"

Not wanting to sound rude, she accepted. Lily sent her packages to Rachel's apartment and followed Ashley.

It wasn't until she was a foot away did she recognize Ashley's boyfriend's friends, and now it was too late to run.

"Jamie, I want you to meet the Healer who has been training me."

James tuned to see a woman with unmistakable brilliant green eyes and dark red hair. Lily Evans was standing right beside him.


	4. Temptation Can Be Deadly

A/N: Sorry about my evil cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter...I just couldn't help myself! Thanks to everyone that reviewed, you guys rock!

Oh, and I don't think I've said this before, so I'll just say it now: I am not JK Rowling. If I was, I would be writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and not this fic.

Chapter 4

Temptation Can Be Deadly

Lily stood there – in the middle of the popular wizarding pub – completely dumbfounded. Sitting directly in front of her was James Potter, the man who she had once loved and now despised. She wanted to lunge at him, to hit him, to punch him, to cause as much pain to him physically as he had caused her emotionally. And yet...she felt an uncomfortable jolt in her stomach that she knew had nothing to do with her anger.

Ashley looked from her boyfriend to her trainer. "Do you two know each other?"

"We – uh –" Lily stammered. Where should she begin?

"We all went to school together." Remus said.

"Oh," Ashley replied. "Then why don't you sit down, Lily. Catch up with everyone."

This pulled Lily out of her stupor. "Wh–oh, no – I – I couldn't possibly –"

"Oh, come on, Lily," Sirius said as he stood and walked around the table to where Lily was standing. He pulled her into a hug and whispered, "Glad you're home, Lils," into her ear and led her to sit in between himself and Remus, directly across from James.

Before anyone could say anything else, Tom the barman took their drink orders. Lily's thoughts of an nonalcoholic beverage flew out the window by merely glancing across the table. She ordered a firewhisky.

After they had gotten their drinks, Ashley persisted, "So, you all went to school together?"

"Yeah, same year and house." James replied, not looking at Lily.

"Were you all close?" Ashley was looking directly at Lily.

"Remus and I were prefects in our fifth and sixth years,"

Steering away from this dangerous conversation, Remus asked Lily, "So, how was New York?"

"I loved it. It's such a beautiful city."

"I still can't believe," Sirius said, "that you've been gone for a year."

Lily smiled. James's stomach did a back flip. "I did really miss London, though."

"Are you staying in London?"

"Yeah, with Rachel for now, but I'm looking for my own place."

"You know," Remus said, "I don't think anyone's moved into your old apartment."

Lily laughed, she staring to feel the firewhisky. "I'll have to look into it."

"Did you get your shopping done in Diagon Alley?" Ashley asked.

_Is this interrogate Lily day?_ "Yes, I did." As an afterthought, she looked at between James and Sirius, "You two will never guess who I ran into at the apothecary."

"Who?" they both replied.

"Severus Snape." The reaction was very close to what she expected – shock. "He seemed surprised that I had returned, though I'm not sure how he knew I had left."

"Who's Severus?" Ashley asked. She had gone to a wizarding school in America with her mother, and knew nothing of the now infamous fights between Snape and the Marauders.

James and Sirius exchanged looks before they burst out laughing.

"You'll have to excuse them," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Severus was in our year, and him and I were partners in Potions during our, what, sixth and seventh years? And these morons," she gestured to James and Sirius, "were his mortal enemies."

"If you're going to tell the story, tell it right." Sirius said, "He hated us as much as we hated him."

Before she knew it, they were laughing about their seven years at Hogwarts. It was a though nothing had changed as they bashed the Slytherins and Mrs. Norris. But after a while, Ashley grew bored. Sirius was in the middle of one of his tales of escaping Filch when Ashley began to run her hand up James's thigh. While Lily obviously couldn't see it, his reaction gave it away.

She couldn't take it any more; she couldn't just sit here and pretend that nothing had happened. After Sirius had finished talking, Lily looked at her watch and said, very quickly, "Well, it's getting really late, I've got a ton to do tonight and I'm working twelve hours tomorrow, so I'd better get going." She bid everyone goodnight and headed out of the pub as fast as she could.

"I've got to use the restroom." James said shortly after Lily left. Ashley looked slightly put off but didn't argue. Once she was no longer looking James, he mouthed, "Distract her!" His friends both nodded. Remus asked Ashley something and James slipped out of the pub.

Lily was at the end of the block, leaning against the brick building, taking a drag out of her cigarette.

"What do you want, Potter?" she said coldly as he approached.

He wanted to tell her everything, the threat letter, the pictures, everything...but the daggers that where shooting out of her gorgeous green eyes made him change his mind. "Smoking's bad for you."

She rolled her eyes. "I was going to quit. I haven't had a cigarette in four days. But after that little discovery, I bloody well deserve this."

"What discovery?"

Lily released a mirthless laugh. "Oh, I don't know," she began sarcastically, "how about the fact that you are fucking my trainee?"

"She told you?"

"No, but she didn't have to. The way she looks at you makes it all too clear." Her face relaxed slightly, but still looked into his eyes. "But she's not as good as I was."

"You can't possibly know that, Lily. Even you can't read people that good."

"Oh, but I can. If_ I _had been the one who had just run her hand up you thigh, we'd be at you place by now." She tossed her cigarette on the ground and leaned closer to him so that they were inches apart. "Tell me something James, do you think of me when you're pounding into her?"

Surprised, James took a step back. Lily smiled her sweetest smile and said, "I'll take that as a 'yes'," before she turned and left.

000

Lily walked up the stairs to the apartment she shared with Rachel. Thankfully, she lived on the second floor. Once at the door, she didn't bother with her key; she charmed the door open, slammed it shut, and fell face down on the couch.

"Bad day?" Lily lifted her head to see Rachel sitting in the chair opposite her, bottle of wine in her hand, already in her pajamas.

Lily sat up straight. "I don't know if you'd believe me," she said as Rachel passed her the bottle of wine.

"Then I'll tell you about mine. Three of my patients died today. And Edward Potter was admitted so you might want to stay away from my floor because James will be there quite a bit to see his father."

"Edward's been in and out of the hospital for, what, two years?"

Rachel nodded. "Lil, between us, I don't think he'll leave."

Lily sighed and took another drink. "I saw Remus today. Then I met my trainee's boyfriend. You might know him, he's our age."

"Who?"

"Take a wild bloody guess."

Their eyes met for a few moments before Rachel clapped her hand over her mouth. "No way!"

"And she calls him _Jamie_. I could literally feel the bile rise in my throat when she said it. Oh, and their sleeping together."

"Alright, you win, your day was worse than mine."

Lily slumped back against the couch. "You know, it never occurred to me that he'd find someone else. Oh well, good night, Rach,"

"Night, Lil."

000

"So, I'll see you tonight?"

"Actually I can't, my dad is in the hospital and I'm going to see him tonight."

"All right, I'll see you later then."

"Bye,"

Ashley kissed him and headed off to St. Mungo's.

James turned to see Sirius giving him an odd look. "What?"

"Nothing," Sirius said as he went to the kitchen, James close behind.

"What?" he asked again.

Sirius took a deep breath and said, "You didn't tell Lily, did you?"

"She hates me," James said in a pained tone. "Did you see the look on her face when she saw me? And I told you what she said last night when we were outside. There's no way that she'd even listen to me."

"And I take it that you're not going to tell Ashley about you and Lily."

James raised his eyebrows. "You mean tell her that I loved Lily and wanted to marry her but the Death Eaters threatened to kill her? Hell no."

Sirius turned to rifle through their mail and handed a thin envelop to James. "I'll see ya later, Prongs."

James glanced at his watch. "Your going in awfully early."

"I've got to do my paperwork that I blew off yesterday or Scrimgeour will be on my ass – again."

After Sirius left, James opened the envelop, put there was no letter.

Only a picture...

A picture of Lily, exiting the Leaky Cauldron.

Frantic, he looked in the envelop for a note of some kind. There was none. He flipped over the picture and on the back, was one sentence:

_Temptation can be deadly._


	5. Meetings

A/N: I absolutely love everyone that has reviewed! But I'm sad to say that my updates may slow down a bit because I've got two tests this week, not to mention about a thousand pages to read. And don't forget to reveiw!!

Meetings

"I'm going to go ahead and take a break," Lily said to Ashley. "You wanna come with me?"

"Sure." Ashley replied bubbly. Lily had the fleeting desire just smack the pep right out of her.

They made their way to the cafeteria, got a cup of coffee, and sat sown at a table. They were talking about one of their patients when Lily heard a woman say her name. She turned and said, "Sofia?"

Just behind Lily stood a woman with salt and pepper hair and hazel eyes. The woman practically pulled Lily out of her seat to hug her. Once she released Lily, she said, "I thought I heard one of the boys saying you were back. How have you been?"

"Great, just great," Lily said, still slightly shocked. And then she remembered who was with her. "Sofia, this is Ashley, she's training to become a Maternity Healer and she's also your son's girlfriend."

Sofia Potter gave Lily a surprised look. But when Lily shook her head slightly, Sofia turned to Ashley, held out her hand and smiled. "Of course, Ashley, I've heard so much about you."

Ashley beamed like a beauty contestant (Lily had the urge to hit her yet again) stood to shake Sofia's hand and said, "Oh, Mrs. Potter, I'm so glad to finally meet you."

"You must excuse me, dear, my mind is not what it once was, but how long have you and James been dating?"

"A little over five months."

Sofia gave Lily a quick glance and Lily had to look away to keep from grinning. She knew what Sofia was thinking; Lily and Sofia had first met two months after she and James had begun dating.

"I have an idea Ashley," Lily said, "How about you go and do a complete assessment on the woman in room six – twelve. I need to go down and speak with Healer Johnson."

"Alright. It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Potter."

"Likewise, Ashley."

Once Ashley had left, Sofia and Lily sat down at the table.

"She has no idea about you and James, does she?"

Lily shook her head. "She's clueless – and apparently James wants to keep it that way."

"Yes, I did hear about you run–in a few evenings ago."

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you – how is Edward?"

"Not good, dear. James is with him now...he nearly had to kick me out of the room so I could get something to drink."

Lily looked at her watch. "I really need to get going...It was great to see you again. Tell Edward I send my best."

Sofia smiled and said goodbye before Lily headed back to her ward.

"So what is you assessment of," Lily paused and looked down at her chart, "Mrs. Weasley?"

"This is her fourth pregnancy. She and her husband have three boys and are now expecting twins. She's currently seven centimeters dilated with one hundred percent effacement."

"And the twins?"

"Still active, heart rates still in normal range, no fetal distress indicated."

"Good, and is everything set up for the deliveries?"

"Yes."

"Excellent, she could go at anytime. I've seen women go from five to ten centimeters in half and hour or less." Lily glanced at the clock behind her. "Looks like we'll be delivering a set of twins before the end of shift."

000

Lily and Rachel, the hoods of their cloaks pulled over their heads, walked into the Hog's Head. It was a dark, rather dingy pub. They removed their hoods and looked around expectantly. When Lily's eyes fell of the barman, he inclined his head toward the stairs. She tugged on Rachel's sleeve and headed up the stairs.

"Now where do we go?" Rachel whispered.

Lily looked around. The door to her left had what appeared to be a small phoenix engraved into the door knob.

"This is it." Lily answered quietly. She opened the door to reveal the room nearly full. She felt as though she had been ushered onto a stage as every head turned to look at her and Rachel.

Lily felt a tug on her sleeve as the group began to have their hushed conversations. She followed Rachel to the back of the room when she realized who they were walked toward. It was none other than Sirius and Remus, standing next to, of course, James.

They exchanged greetings just before Albus Dumbledore stood at the front of the room. Everyone went silent.

"You all know why we have gathered this evening," he began. "We have become united in the cause against the forces that threaten us and our loved ones. Therefore, I need not express how very important our work will be.

"Now, as many of you know, when Voldemort first began his campaign of terror, his and his followers' main victims were Muggles and Muggle–borns. But as his support grew – and continues to grow – he will not hesitate to destroy any that stand in his way. But from the information that has recently come into light, it seems that he may be returning to his roots. A large number of Muggle and Muggle–borns – mainly women – have disappeared in the past months, yet very few bodies have been found. What has been found of these victims are only pieces.

"It is my belief that, on Voldemort's orders, the Death Eaters have set up some type of torture camp."

Lily felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked around at the gathered crowd. While she didn't know most of the people, it was easy to pick out those who came from Muggle families: they were the ones with the most terrified faces. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James looking at her. She wouldn't – no, couldn't – look back into his hazel eyes. Instead, she continued to look straight ahead, even though she could feel her face flush.

000

Nearly an hour later, most of the Order had left. Lily and Rachel were speaking with Frank and Alice Longbottom, who had been a few years ahead of them in school, when Albus approached them.

"Excuse me, Lily, but may I have a word?"

"Of course. I'll see you guys later."

She followed Dumbledore into a side room – where James was already seated. Dumbledore showed Lily the seat next to James, and conjured a chair across from them for himself. "First of all," he began, "I would like to thank both of you for joining the Order, and I know that this was only our first meeting, but I have an assignment for the two of you."

Lily and James nodded.

"James, tomorrow Alastor Moody will formally tell you this, but I need you to go to New York and speak with the Aurors there. See if they have anyone they could send to help our cause. Lily, because you actually lived in New York, I would like you to accompany James. I believe that it would be best if you presented your case in the most social way possible." Dumbledore paused to look at Lily imploringly. "Which is why it would be best if you introduced yourself to the Aurors in New York as Lily Potter."

Her eyes grew to the size of galleons. James opened his mouth as though to say something, but nothing came out; instead, Lily said, "As his sister?" though she knew it was no good.

Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "No,"

Lily nodded, not daring to look at James. Dumbledore continued to talk about their mission, saying that they would be leaving from the Muggle airport in London in three weeks and stay for three nights at a five star hotel.

After Dumbledore had dismissed them, Lily nearly ran into the streets of Hogsmeade and Disapparated.

000

Two weeks later, Rachel was helping Lily move into her new apartment. Well, technically, it was her old apartment. After nearly begging the landlord, she was able to her place back. Since Rachel had to work the late shift that night, she'd left Lily with about half of her boxes still to unpack.

It have been nearly three hours since Rachel had left. By now, Lily had unpacked most of her things, except for a few pots and pans, but to be honest with herself, it was a very rare occasion when she cooked, so she wasn't too concerned with it.

Lily sat on her floor, a photo album in her lap and a glass of wine in her hand. Her mother had given her a camera and this album just before she left for Hogwarts.

She opened the album. Most of the pictures were of her and Rachel through those seven years. But the last part, the ones from her seventh year, was different. These were mainly pictures of James and Lily, in the corridors of the castle, by the lake, on the Quidditch pitch, a few of them capturing a kiss. With an anger that sprung from somewhere deep within her, she slammed the album shut and downed her glass of wine.

But she wasn't allowed to wallow in self–pity for long: an owl was tapping at her window. She stood up, slightly dizzy, to let it in. It carried a short note in Rachel's handwriting.

_Edward passed away._

000

Lily had expected the funeral to be crowded. After all, Edward Potter had been the Head Auror before his retirement six years before, and the Potters had always been a very well respected family. But what greeted her and Rachel was incredible. It seemed as though at least half of the Ministry's workers – including the Minister of Magic himself – were there, not to mention various other wizards and witches. They had stood in line for nearly twenty minutes before they paid their respects to Sofia and James. Lily couldn't help but notice that Ashley was always close by. They spoke briefly to Sirius and Remus, who were nearly as upset as James.

She and Rachel had gone out for dinner afterwards, but neither had eaten much. Lily went home, took a shower and flopped down with one of her favorite novels when the doorbell rang.

"James," she said in surprise, "what are you doing here?"

"I know we're leaving in four days for New York," he said, looking somewhere around her knees, "and I just wanted to go over a few things. Can I come in?"

He raised his head and looked, almost pleadingly, into her green eyes. Lily felt suddenly vulnerable, and very aware of the pajama pants that where hanging over off of her hips and the white, nearly see though tank top she was wearing.

"Uh, sure, come on in. Do you want something to drink?"

"No, thank you."

An awkward moment passed between them before Lily said, "Look James, I'm really sorry about your dad. I'm sure that if you were to just talk to Dumbledore we could postpone the assignment– "

"He said that, too. Dumbledore, I mean. But no, the sooner we get this done, the better. And that's what I came to talk about." He suddenly adopted a very business–like tone. "I've told Ashley that I need to go to the States on Auror business. What did you say?"

"That my ex–roommate in New York is having a baby and that I promised her I'd be there. But I don't think she's added two and two together yet."

"Good. I've got a basic idea of what we're doing, the Head of their Auror department sent me an owl yesterday, his name is Kent Wilson. The first night we're not doing anything because our flight doesn't land until five o'clock their time. The second day we're going into the Ministry to meet Mr. Wilson and the last night we're to have dinner with him and his wife, also an Auror, and his cousin, the Head of the International Magical Cooperation. Apparently, we are going to some Muggle restaurant, and he made a point of saying that we are to dress formally."

"Thanks for the itinerary."

He smiled slightly. "There's one more thing." He took a deep breath and continued. "Since you're going to be my wife for a whole three days, I thought you should have this." James pulled a small black box out of his robes and handed it to Lily.

Curiously, she opened it. The bottom of her stomach nearly dropped out when she saw the impressive diamond ring inside.

"I thought you'd like it."

She took the ring out of it's box and slid it onto her finger; it was a perfect fit. "Where did you get it?"

"Just something I had lying around the house."

Lily roller her eyes. "Well thank you, dear husband," she laughed.

James stood to leave. "I'll see you at the airport, then?"

Lily nodded. "See you then."

After James left, leaned against the door, staring at the ring he had given her. Well, not given her – let her borrow...strictly for the mission. And he did have a point, if they were going to tell everyone they were married, they had to make it look good. What wouldn't she have given to have James give her this ring last year? Lily shook her head as she made her way to her room.

Once again, she found herself looking at the ring again. It was beautiful. It had three diamonds – one in the center and two slightly smaller ones on each side.

_How in the hell am I going to pull this off?_ she thought desperately as she carefully placed the ring in her jewelry box.


	6. New York

A/N: Finally, chapter six is done! Yay! I was originally planning on having this chapter and the next as one, but i decided today that it would be too long, so here it is. Reviews are very awesome, and I'll love you forever if you leave me one!

Chapter 6

New York

"How much longer?" James whined.

Lily rolled her eyes. "That has got to be the hundredth time you've asked me since we left London." Lily glanced out of the plane's window, pointing. "Look, all of those buildings is New York City. We should be landing in a few minutes."

All in all, it had not been the best flight ever. While it was nearly five o' clock according to New York, James and Lily were still running on London time – where it was almost eleven. They had slept off and on since the plane had taken off, but when neither of them were asleep, they past the time in awkward silence.

Just as Lily had said, they landed just a few minutes later. After fighting through baggage claim, with James complaining about why they couldn't have just taken a portkey and Lily agreeing, they hailed a taxi to take them to their hotel. The second the taxi pulled up to the curb, men in suits were opening doors for them and carrying their bags. After they checked in at the desk, a bell hop escorted them to the room.

Lily's eyes widened in awe. This wasn't a room – it was a suite. As a matter of fact this suite was bigger than the apartment she stayed at while living here. They stood in a large room, complete with couch, chairs, television, oak desk, and kitchenette. The next room held a king–sized, four poster bed. The french doors next to the bed led to a balcony that overlooked the city.

"Oh my God," Lily said after the bell hop had left.

"Dumbledore must be really glad we're in the Order." James said as Lily went to investigate the bathroom. She was not disappointed; nearly one full wall was dedicate to a large mirror, their was a huge glass shower and tub that could easily hold four adults.

"So now what are going to do?"

"I'm going to bed," Lily replied as she headed to the bedroom.

"Hold on, why do you get the bed?"

"Because I just claimed it."

"Can't we discuss –?"

"No." She cut him off. "I am sleeping in the big comfy bed. The only way you're sleeping in this is if you sleep with me, and that sure as hell isn't going happen."

James rolled his eyes. "So where am I going to sleep."

"As I recall, you we're the best in our year at transfiguration. Transfigure the couch into a bed. Goodnight." Lily turned and shut the door in his face.

James turned back to the couch. _This is going to be a blast. _

Lily turned to her bag that was sitting on the bed, grinning to herself. She started to unpack her things, but her face fell slightly when she saw a small, black box at the bottom of her bag. She opened it to inspect the diamond ring. She suddenly felt bad for snapping at James. Maybe she should apologize?...On second though, she wasn't sorry, it actually felt good to say that to him. She closed the box, placed it on the bedside table, and got ready for bed.

000

The next morning, Lily and James Apparated to the American Ministry of Magic. Much like their own Ministry, it was packed with people, some in Muggle dress, others in robes. The main room was covered in white marble; the floor, walls, even security desk, which was where they headed. After the security guard checked their wands and gave them directions to Mr. Wilson's office, they headed to the lifts. Surprisingly, they got one by themselves.

James glanced to his side. Lily was beautiful; she was wearing green robes that illuminated her eyes, and a pair of gold hoop ear rings. His eyes fell to her left hand. She was wearing the diamond ring he gave her.

Lily could feel his eyes on her. "What?" she asked impatiently as the lift began to move.

"Give me your ear rings."

"I really don't think their your color," she said as she took them off and gave them to him.

James withdrew his wand, muttered a spell, and the gold hoops transformed into a single, gold band that he placed on his left ring finger.

"Cute." Lily said as the lifts opened.

They walked down the corridor, turned left, and down another before they reached the Auror Department. A brunette secretary showed James and Lily to Mr. Wilson's office. He was a fit man with short brown hair and kind blue eyes. From a quick glance at him and his office, Lily got the distinct impression that he was a very orderly, straight to business man.

"My name is Kent, and you must be James and Lily Potter." he said as he shook their hands. Lily inwardly shuttered. _Lily Potter._

"Please, sit." They did. "So why exactly are you here?"

"I'm sure you know of the war in England." James said.

"Yes, terrible business." Kent replied.

"To be perfectly honest," Lily said. "We've come to ask for help. We're at the end of our rope. Hundreds of people are being killed in the most brutal ways."

Kent nodded. "I see," he said pensively. "I've heard quite of few of the Aurors saying that something needs to be done about what's going on over there. As of now, I wouldn't be able to _send_ anyone, but I can ask around for volunteers."

"Anything you could do would be greatly appreciated." James said.

"Let me see what I can do, and we can discuss it more at dinner tomorrow."

James and Lily bid Kent farewell and headed out of his office.

Once they had Apparated back to their hotel, James let out a frustrated sigh. "We came all the way here for an 'I'll see what I can do'?"

Lily nodded in agreement. "We're going to have to play up to his wife tomorrow night. She's not a Muggle–born by any chance, is she?"

James looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, "I think so. And Kent is a half–blood. Are you thinking about mentioning the torture camps?"

"Exactly. We've tried to be direct, but I think it's time to play the sympathy card."

James nodded. "So what are we going to do now?"

"You wanna see the sights?"

000

For the rest of the day, Lily dragged James around New York City. She took him to the most tourist–y spots, like the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and a few of the museums, so that by the time they finally got back to the hotel, they were both exhausted.

Numerous time throughout the day, Lily actually found herself enjoying being with James; he always had some funny comment about every painting they saw at the art museums. And to be honest, this terrified her.

That had been one of the early phases of falling in love with James when they were at school. First, she could tolerate him. Then, she had actually liked to be around him. Before she knew it, they were dating, in love, and in each other's bed.

And where had it gotten her? In the end she had been left with nothing but a broken heart. All she had to do was get through tomorrow night and she could go back to hating James Potter in peace...

She hoped...


	7. The City That Never Sleeps

A/N: Thanks to everyone that reveiwed. I love you all! And just so you know...this story is rated M for a reason, and the end of this chapter is that reason. Please review!

Chapter 7

The City That Never Sleeps

"Are you ready yet?" James called through the closed door as he put his coat on.

"In a minute!" he heard Lily reply testily.

"You've been saying that for the past _ten_ minutes."

Lily rolled her eyes as she straightened her dress, it was a black halter top dress that fell just above her knees, with a neckline just low enough to see a hint of cleavage, and most of her back was exposed. Her dark red hair was pulled into a messy, yet elegant bun. The only jewelry she had on was her "wedding" ring. She sat on the bed, put on her black heels and stood up to survey herself in the mirror. _Not bad, _she thought.

She grabbed her coat and headed out of the bedroom to meet James.

"It's about ti– " but he was silenced when he saw her.

"What's wrong?" she asked in fake curiosity as she put on her long black coat.

He shook his head. "Nothing...nothing."

As they left the hotel, Lily kept her expression clear, but she was laughing in her head.

000

They arrived at the restaurant shortly after Kent, his wife Stacey, and his cousin Mark. Stacy, a pretty brunette, looked at Lily for a moment as though she were trying to place her.

As they were seated, Stacey finally said, "You know, Lily, this may sound strange, but I swear I'm seen you before. What was your maiden name?"

"Evans."

"That's it! You were an assisting Healer when we had our daughter."

Lily blinked. "Oh, yes, I remember," she smiled, "that was the last birth I assisted with before I went out on my own. You named her Kimberly, right?"

"That's right. She'll be a year old next month."

"And you have an older son, right?"

"Yes," Kent said. "Tim will be five in May."

"Do you two have any children?"

"No," James said. "Not yet."

"We've only been married for a few months." Lily said, a sudden idea striking her. "Right now really isn't the safest time to start a family in Britain."

"How is the war going?" Mark asked.

"Terrible," James replied somberly. "I believe that last count was over a thousand lives have been lost, but that doesn't even begin to count the Muggles."

"Are those his main targets?" Stacy asked in a small voice.

"At first, yes." Lily answered. "Then he moved to Muggle–borns, like me, but now..." Lily sighed. "Now he won't hesitate to kill anyone in his way."

"But," James said, "he has started torturing Muggle and Muggle–born women in a whole new way...our information tells us that he and his followers – Death Eaters – have begun some type of torture camp."

"That's terrible!" Stacey said as her eyes widened in shock.

"Is it true," Mark said, "that these – Death Eaters – leave a signal over the places they attack?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Lily said. "It's a giant green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. They generally only cast it when they've killed someone."

"And once you see it," James said, "you'll never forget it."

"I did speak with a few of my Aurors," Kent said, "and there were some that seemed eager to do something."

"But before we could actually send anyone," Mark pointed out, "I'll have to set up something with your Head of International Magical Cooperation and go from there."

"With the way things are going now," James said, "I highly doubt he'll refuse any help."

The rest of dinner was pasted with general small talk. Just as they were about to leave, Stacey took Lily's left hand and said, "What a beautiful ring. You must have great taste, James."

"Thank you," he smiled. "The minute I saw it, I knew it was perfect."

Lily smiled, but something began to nag at in the back of her mind. Where_ had _James gotten the ring? He had said that it was lying around his place, but she didn't buy it. Could it have been in his family? But this couldn't be it either...this ring looked nothing like his mother's, and James didn't have any aunts or female cousins...and its design was too modern to be an heirloom.

As they got back to the hotel, only one rational explanation came to her: it was meant for Ashley.

It made perfect sense...James had bought the ring to propose to Ashley with, but when Dumbledore had given them this mission, he had decided to let Lily borrow it.

That meant that Ashley and James would be married...

Lily felt suddenly ill as they entered the hotel room. Without realizing it, she went to the bedroom, tossed her coat on the dresser and stood facing the glass doors.

James leaned against the doorframe, watching Lily. "I thing it went well. At least they're going to try and do something."

Lily turned to face him. She held her left hand up so James could see the back of it. "Where did you get this ring."

The look in her eyes told James that it would be best not to lie. "A jewelry store in Hogsmeade."

"When?"

"What does it matter?"

"Because I think that I should know if I'm wearing an engagement ring that you're about to give to Ashley." she said fiercely.

"That ring was never meant for anyone but you." James blurted out before he could stop himself.

Lily blinked. "What?"

James ran his hand though his hair nervously. He had to tell her.

"I bought that ring for you a month before we broke up." Her mouth fell open and eyes widened. He continued, "I was going to propose to you, but I was forced to break up with you."

Lily's green eyes narrowed in anger. "If I recall properly, _you_ told me that you were no longer in love with me. No one forced you."

"It was a lie." He pulled an old looking piece of parchment out of his pocket that looked at though it were about to fall apart from being folded and unfolded so often. He handed it to her. "This will explain it."

She began to read the letter that had been left of James's desk at the Ministry all that time ago.

When she finished, her hand fell limply to her side and looked stunned.

"The only other people that know about that letter are Sirius and Rachel, who had tried to convince me to tell you. I was so afraid that they would make good on the threat that I couldn't bring myself to do it. But by the time I'd finally given in, Rachel went over to your apartment but–"

"I had already left." Lily finished miserably. James nodded.

She sank onto the bed. James knelt in front of her. "As much as it killed me to hear that you had left, I was at least relieved that you were safe. I told myself that if you ever did come back, I would tell you everything. But the look on your face when you saw me...I just couldn't."

James looked into her emerald eyes, silently begging for forgiveness. Before he knew it, they were close...really close...Lily seemed to be holding her breath – and then –

He kissed her.

She was surprised at first, and for a fleeting instant she wanted to push him away. But she couldn't; it just felt right. He lips moved against his, her tongue begging for entrance, which he was only too happy to give her.

One of James's hands began to massage her breast while the other slide down her back. Lily threw her head back, running her hands though his black hair, and moaned. He bent his head to kiss down her neck and they fell back onto the bed.

She flipped him onto his back and straddled his waist. She loosened his tie, threw it across the room and began to unbutton his shirt, leaving a trial of kisses down his chest along the way. By the time she reached his belt, his erection was straining against his pants.

An erotic grin played across Lily's beautiful face as she pulled his pants off. She moved up to kiss him again, his hands traveling up her black dress until he reached her lacy black panties, which he slid off her legs. Together, they pulled her dress over her head and it joined the rest of their clothing on the floor.

He leaned over her. She spread her legs as he slowly entered.

"Oh, God, James..." she moaned, arching her back and running her nails down his shoulders. She was grinding her hips against his as he increased his speed. It didn't take long before she was tossing her head back and moaning...she was so close.

But he suddenly paused, his whole member throbbing inside her, sending her spiraling over the edge and taking him with her. They laid in bed, there arms wrapped around each other, listened to each other's heart beat slow until they fell asleep.


	8. Back to London

A/N: Thank you soooo much to everyone who has reviewed! I love you all! Oh, and the very last part of this chapter was inspired by an episode of Friends, the tv show. I can't remember what the episode's name is, but it is the first episode in season 5. Please review!

Chapter 8

Back to London

Sun was gleaming through the french doors. It seemed to be mocking Lily. She turned away from it, pulling the covers higher up her naked body. A strong arm reached around her waist and pulled her closer.

James kissed the side of her neck. "Good morning."

She smiled. "You too." She stretched her arms over her head and turned to face him. His black hair was messier than she had seen it in a long time.

He yawned widely. Lily's smile grew. "Tired?"

"A bit...neither of us slept much last night."

Lily rolled her eyes and hit his arm playfully. He wrapped his arms around the small of her back and kissed her.

Feeling slightly dizzy, but in a very good way, Lily laid her head on James's chest as he ran his fingers through her dark red hair. It was then that she realized just how much sun light was pouring into the room.

"I really hate to ruin this," Lily said, "but what time is it?"

He let go of her and turned to get his watch from the bedside table. "Eleven–thirty."

Lily sat up quickly, "We're suppose to be at the airport in thirty minutes,"

They looked at each other briefly before they were flying around the suite to gather their things together. They hurried down to the front desk, checked out, and went down the alley to Disapparate to the airport. The stewardess was about to close the gate when they got there.

James had to practically charm said stewardess to let them on the plane.

The stored their bags in the overhead compartment and sat down just as the flight attendant came over the intercom and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking off shortly for London in a few moments. Once we clear the city, we will being showing the movie _An Affair to Remember_. Thank you for flying with us and enjoy the flight."

Lily covered her mouth to stifle her laugh.

000

Overall, it was a much better flight than the one to New York. Lily and James were surprisingly much more relaxed with each other. The long hours on the plane passed much faster as they quietly discussed the effectiveness of their mission his hushed tones. Once they were well over the Atlantic, Lily decided to try and get a bit of sleep. She reclined her seat and turned towards the window.

But as much as she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. One question kept picking at her:

What now?

Would they leave what happened in New York as just a great night and nothing more? The thought made Lily chest tighten. Not that she knew the truth, how could she go back to just ignoring how she felt about James? Maybe she was just fooling herself , but she knew that he felt the same. Why else would he have told her the truth?

The plane landed and everyone made the general scramble to get off, but James and Lily fell back.

"I think we need to talk," Lily said. "Why don't you come over to my place?"

"Yeah, okay."

They headed off of the plane and into the terminal when they heard a woman's voice yell, "James!"

They froze as they heard Ashley. She was running at James and when she reached him, she flung her arms around him. Lily took a terrified step back.

Ashley...oh my God, she had forgotten about Ashley. Lily felt her face grow hot as she turned away – Ashley hadn't yet noticed her.

"Lily, is that you?"

_Shit._

Lily spun around. "Ashley...James, I didn't know you were on this flight."

Catching on, James said, "oh, yeah, you were in New York the past few days too, right?"

"Yes, my friend had her baby."

"What did she have?" Ashley asked.

Lily blinked at her. "A girl."

"And her name?"

Lily could have hit her. "Emma." And before Ashley could ask how much she weighed, Lily added, "Well, I really need to get going – they scheduled me to work tomorrow. I'll see you later." She turned and left without another look back.

000

Lily dropped her suitcase on the floor the minute she entered her apartment and headed to her bathroom. She drew herself a hot bath, tossed her clothes onto the floor, and slid into the water.

What had she been thinking? Had she completely lost her damn mind?

She had never been the kind of person that slept around. In fact, the only man she'd ever been with was James. And now she was a whore, plain and simple. She'd had sex with a man that was already taken.

Whore.

And to make matters even worse, she had to work with Ashley tomorrow. How could she face her considering what had happened between her and James.

Never mind that Lily loved him...

She sighed. Tomorrow was going to be hell.

The water started to cool. Grudgingly, Lily climbed out of the tub, toweled herself off, and put on her white bath robe.

She was about to go to bed when she heard a knock on the door. Puzzled, she made sure her robe wasn't revealing anything it shouldn't and answered the door.

James was standing in the doorway.

"How did you do it?" she asked as she stepped aside to let him in.

"Do what?"

"Shake off Ashley,"

James smiled warily. "I just told her that I needed sleep and I'd see her tomorrow."

Silence passed between them before Lily said, "Look, James, I – I think this should end before it really get started. You have Ashley and we're both in danger if we're together...Maybe it's best if we leave it in New York."

While his face remained steady, James's eyes looked defeated. "Are you sure?"

Looking at her own feet, she nodded.

"Okay," he said, "I guess I'll see you later." He turned to leave.

She wanted to stop him, tell him that she loved him – but she knew this would be for the best.

But when he reached the door, he turned back and said, "I'm still on New York time, does that count?"

Lily hesitated for only a moment, "Oh that counts."

He was at her side an instant later, his arms snaking around her and his lips on hers.


	9. Now It's Our Turn

A/N: I hate school. I hate finals. I just wanted to say that...Anyway, here's chapter 9...Please Review!!!

Chapter 9

Now It's Our Turn

As the next few weeks past, Lily and James kept their affair a secret. They generally saw each other two or three times a week – out side of Order meetings, anyway. The always met at Lily's apartment. They had not told anyone, including Sirius, so they couldn't meet at James's place.

Lily loved the time she spent with James. Their secret meetings were the highlights of her week. There was no way to deny their chemistry, so neither tried. Usually, they would stay up all night, wrapped in each others arms...and, of course, making passionate love until the early hours of the morning.

She was just reflecting on the most recent of these nights – two nights ago, in fact – as she stifled a yawn. It was her first break she had all day and she was sitting behind the Healer's station, a cup of coffee in her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blonde approaching the desk. Lily was about to ask 'may I help you?', when she realized it was Ashley, who had a nervous, yet excited look on her face.

"Oh, Ashley," Lily said, slightly surprised. "I didn't know that you were suppose to be here today."

"I'm not here to work...I'm here as a patient."

Lily nearly dropped her coffee as she gaped at Ashley like a fish out of water. Finally, she managed to stutter, "You–you're–"

"I don't know for sure," Ashley cut in, "but I think I am."

Mechanically, Lily stood and said, "Well, Ashley, I believe that two–thirteen is open. Just let me get everything and I'll meet you in there."

Ashley gave her a grateful smile and headed to the room. Without really knowing what she was doing, Lily gathered the necessary paperwork before she headed to the supply room.

Once she was there, away from the noisy Healer's station, it hit her. She tried to steady her breathing, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. If Ashley was pregnant, James would surely be the father. The thought made her nauseous.

Pulling herself together, she gathered the various potion ingredients and headed to room two–thirteen.

000

After Lily had set up the potion, she waved her wand over Ashley's finger, were a spot of blood appeared there. The drop of blood fell into the small cauldron that was filled with a clear potion. Both women watched, holding their breath, as the potion bubbled for a moment before it stilled, though it still remained clear.

Lily nearly danced in relief. "You know what this means as much as I do." she said kindly.

Ashley looked close to tears. "I guess I just..." she sighed. "James has been acting different since he came back from New York. He's always working and – and I think he may be cheating on me."

Lily stayed silent for a moment before she said, "Maybe this is for the best. I mean, even if you were pregnant, that's no guarantee that he would have stayed with you."

Wiping her eyes, Ashley said, "Maybe you're right, Lily...and thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

000

That evening, Lily was in her kitchen when she heard the unmistakable sound of someone Apparating. Soon, she heard foot step behind her as she pulled the curtains closed – there was no mistaking those footsteps.

He put his hands on her hips and kissed her neck.

"Hey," she said distractedly.

"You alright?" James asked.

Lily turned around so they were facing. "I've just had a rough day."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Well, that's the problem," she said as she went into the living room, with James right behind her. "I can't tell you because it would completely violate Healer/patient confidentiality."

"What if you just don't tell me names?" he suggested as they sat on the couch.

"I guess I could." Lily took a deep breath and continued, "a young woman that I know came in today, thinking that she was pregnant. But after taking the test and proving that she _wasn't _pregnant, she got pretty upset – which surprised me because she wasn't married. Then she basically told me that she was hoping that she was pregnant because she thought that her boyfriend was cheating on her and a baby might fix their relationship."

Looking slightly confused, James asked, "But why would this upset _you_?"

"Because..." Lily sighed. "Do you promise me that you won't tell anyone? I really meant it, James, I could get fired over this."

"I promise, Lil."

"It was Ashley."

"_What_?"

"It was your girlfriend, Ashley."

James got off the couch and began pacing.

"Now do you see why I was so upset?" Lily said, but James didn't see to be listening.

He continued to pace, muttering to himself before he looked at Lily and said, "This has to end."

Lily's heart seemed to stop. She looked up at him and said, "What are talking about?"

"I have to end it with Ashley. I've only stayed with her to cover up our affair." he said as Lily stood up. He continued, "I love you. And I don't give a damn what the Death Eaters do." He kissed her and whispered, "I'll protect you."

000

True to his word, James ended it with Ashley that night. The next day, they told Rachel, Sirius, and Remus that they were together, none of whom seemed surprised.

Lily couldn't help but notice that Ashley was rather distracted at work for the next few days, and she knew why. But she found it hard to feel sorry for Ashley when she herself was so happy. Just the other day, she and James had their first "public outing". It was a simple date; they went shopping in Hogsmeade. But it was fact that they were together, holding hands, stealing kisses when they thought no one was watching.

But someone _was _watching...

000

The next day, Lily came home from her latest twelve hour shift just like she always did – completely and utterly exhausted. It took all fo her will power to pass up the couch and go to her bedroom to change into her pajamas. She was so tired that she considered not waiting up for James and heading straight to bed. To keep herself awake more than anything else, she turned on the radio. But when the next slow song came on, Lily could no longer fighter her heavy eyelids.

Moments later, the sound of her door opening startled Lily out of her nap. "I'm on the couch, James," she called sleepily.

She heard footsteps until they ceased right behind her, followed by a cold voice saying, "I thought we warned him–" Lily whipped around and saw, with a thrill of pure terror, a man in black robes and a Death Eaters mask, "–what would happen to you."

Lily stared at him for a moment before she tried to run to her room to get her wand, but she never made it.

000

James walked down the hall to Lily's apartment, but froze when he saw the door slightly ajar. He withdrew his wand and quietly opened the door.

At first glance, nothing seemed out of place. "Lily!" he called through the flat. There was no answer. He went to the loving room, his wand still out.

And then he saw it...a picture lying on the floor. James's eyes widened as he picked it up. It was Lily, lying unconscious on what appeared to be her own living room floor, her thick dark red hair spread around her.

James flipped over the picture, thinking that they had left another message. He could feel his stomach bottom out as he read: _You've had your fun with her. Now it's our turn. _


	10. Fear

A/N: I know it's been forever since my last update, but I finally finished with my school year - at the end of JUNE!! Yeah, it sucked just as much as you think it would. And then, last week, my lap top broke. Yay. Anywho, here's chapter ten, and pretty please review!!!

Chapter 10

Fear

Twenty minutes later, Lily's apartment was full of Aurors, nearly all of them members of the Order. James sat at the kitchen table with Moody, going over everything that had happened since he arrived there for what seemed like the hundreth time.

"...and when I found the picture, I called you guys,": James said.

Moody, who was looking at the picture that James had found, sighed. "I hate to tell you this, but I'm going to be honest with you. It sounds like she could have been taken to where ever the rest of the Muggle and Muggle-born women have disappeared to."

James ran his hand through his mop of black hair. "I was afraid of that."

"How long had you been getting the other letters and pictures?"

"I got the first one over a year ago. It said that if I didn't end it with Lily, they'd kill her. That was when Lily moved to New York. When she came back, I got another one. So when we started seeing each other again, we didn't tell anyone for a while. And now she's gone." James let out a frustrated sigh and hung his head in his hands.

"We've got a good team working on this. And most of them are in the Order so you'll get full updates. We'll find her." Moody said, trying to reassure him.

"I don't doubt that you'll find her." James said. "But the real question is if you'll find her alive."

000

Lily's head was throbbing. She tried to move her arms, but they were tied. She opened her eyes but where ever she was, it was pitch black. Lily could feel her heart drumming in her chest as panic began to over take her.

Just then, she heard footsteps somewhere in the distance, growing louder. She was temporarily blinded by a bright light as two masked men drew nearer. They lifted her off of the ground, but she tried to get away. As she struggled against her captors, one of them drew his wand and said, "_Crucio!_"

It felt as though she were being stabbed by thousands of white hot knives. Tears were streaming down her face, her throat was raw from her screams. She didn't realize she was on the ground again until the curse was lifted.

"Now," said one of the Death Eaters, "don't make me do that again, Mudblood."

The lifted Lily to her feet and led her out of the room. As they headed down the dark corridor, lit only with a few torches, Lily saw other rooms and could hear faint screams.

They took her to another room. Its walls and floor were made from rough stone, and from the ceiling hung a solitary hook. Lily was sure that the dark red marks on the wall were blood.

She wanted to fight. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run away.

But she couldn't. She was completely paralysed with fear.

One of the Death Eaters pulled her wrists above her head, hanging the rope that bound them together on the rusting hook. She was now, quite literally, dangling from the ceiling, her toes barely making contact with the floor, her red hair falling in front of her eyes.

Behind her, she could hear the Death Eaters unraveling something. Lily heard the sharp crack of a whip as the thin leather strap hit her back, tearing her robes. Tears poured from her emerald eyes as she screamed into the darkness, pain raking throught her body. She felt the rope cutting into her wrists as the weight of her body pulled against it.

She could have been there for a few minutes.

She could have been there for a few years.

But she did know that when the Death Eaters finally dragged her back to where ever she was when they found her, her back was raw with pain, and she was fairly certain she was bleeding.

Her captors cut the ropes that bound her wrists and tossed her back into the pitch black room like the piece of trash they so obviously thought she was. Once she could no longer hear their footsteps, Lily curled herself in a ball and sobbed until she fell asleep many hours later.

000

Lily awoke sometime later to the sound of an alarm. It reminded her of a fire drill from when she had been in Muggle primary school.

The door flew open. As light flooded into the corner - waiting for the hooded men to take her away once again.

But they never came. Instead, Lily saw women - some of them still girls - walking past her cell. They all had a frightened, yet beaten look on their faces. Their clothes - some robes, some Muggle clothing - were in taters. Cautiously, Lily stood up and walked into the hall.

The crowd moved down the cooridor. Near the walls, Lily saw Death Eaters pointing there wands at various women, but never striking. They were they crowd control.

It suddenly struck Lily how easy it would be to rebel. There must have been a hundred or more prisoners, and there were only...seven Death Eaters. But as she passed one, he pointed her wand directly at her. Her heart began to race as she averted her eyes to the ground.

As the crowd moved on, and Lily's heart reate returned to normal, she realized that it wasn't the Death Eaters or their wands that kept her - and the rest of these women - here. It was fear. The fear that the Death Eaters would torture or kill them.

The corridor turned and the crowd entered a large room with numerous tables. If Lily didn't know better, it looked like a deranged sort of cafeteria. The women who must have been here longer automatically sat down. The 'new' ones followed suit. None of them looked at each other, not directly anyway. At the next table, Lily saw a woman who could only be a few years older than herself was holding a young girl very close to her. The girl couldn't have been more than four or five. She turned her head toward Lily, who saw she had numerous cuts and black eye.

Lily quickly looked down at the table.

Food suddenly appeared in front of the prisoners. Lily sat, feeling very confused. But others were hungrily eating. She couldn't help but think of what Moody would say if he knew she was going to eat food given to her by Death Eaters. Cautiously, she began to eat. Ironically enough, the food was actually good; though it could have been because she was so hungry.

About half an hour later, the plates cleared and the prisoners began to stand. But a Death Eater shot sparks into the air. Everyone froze. He began to divide the groups of table up, saying they would now have room moates, like it was a privilage. Lily's table and the next - the table with the mother and daughter - would be in the same cell. The Death Eater pointed at Lily's table and the next. They stood and followed him as two more Death Eaters followed.

They were led to a different cell; this one was larger than the one that Lily had been in, but there were now eight people.

Lily sat in a corner, her knees drawn up to her chest. She looked at the other women, and although none of them were crying, they all had a very empty, hopeless look in their eyes.

Lily would have preferred tears.


	11. Fellow Prisioners

A/N: Here's chapter 11...finally! I know it's short, but the next chapter will hopefully make up for it. And please review!!!

Chapter 11

Fellow Prisoners

James walked down the sidewalks of London, almost as if on autopilot, toward the Leaky Cauldron. It had become something of a ritual for him in the week that Lily had disappeared. Had it really been a week? He meandered between the Muggles and turned a corner right before running right into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied without looking at who he had run into.

He was about to continue on his way when the person he had run into said, "James?"

He turned and saw Ashley standing at the corner. _Shit._

"Oh...Hi, Ashley."

She took a few steps toward him. "How have you been?"

"Alright. How are things at St. Mungo's?"

"They're okay, a bit lonely now that Lily's gone...you've heard about what happened, right?"

James's expression darkened. "Yeah, I heard." There was what was most likely the most awkward pause of James's life before he said, "Well, I better get going. See you."

"Yeah, take care, James."

They went their separate ways, James turning back in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. In a few minutes time, he walked through the doors, sat in what had become his usual seat.

"The usual, James?" The old barman asked.

He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed. "Make it a double, Tom."

"And I'll have the same." A voice next to him said. He cocked his head and saw Rachel sit on the barstool next to him.

Tom handed them their drinks, and they sat in silence for a while before James said, "So, which one of them told you I've been coming here?"

Rachel hesitated. "They both did. They're worried about you, James."

He finished his drink, not knowing what to say. Rachel put her hand on his, gave it a gentle squeeze and said, "I miss her too." She downed what was left of her drink. "So you they're still aren't any leads?"

"No. Mad–Eye said they interviewed someone they thought might have had a connection, but he didn't know anything."

Rachel sighed. "It'll take a miracle to find her alive, won't it?"

"Yeah, it will."

000

It was the first time the Death Eaters had tortured her since her arrival. But instead of having Lily dangling from the ceiling, they had chained her to the wall before they lashed her back. Just as the old wounds had begun to heal, they had ripped them open again.

They threw her back into the cell and slammed the door. As her green eyes adjusted to the practically pitch black room, she realized that her left wrist was extremely painful and throbbing – even more so than her raw back. The Healer inside her told her that it was broken.

She leaned on the bottom of her robes and tore four long strips and tied these strips around her wrist, wincing at the pain. She could fixed it in a second if she had her wand...then again, she wouldn't be sitting here if she had her wand, either. Her makeshift wrap would have to do.

"D–Does that help?" a frightened voice asked from across the room.

Lily looked up. One of her fellow prisoners, a blonde woman as far as she could tell in the dark, had spoken. She was clutching her right wrist.

"It doesn't do much for the pain," Lily replied, "but the wrap helps stabilize it."

"Are you a Healer?"

"Yes...well I'm actually a Maternity Healer, but yeah."

"What's your name?" This time, it was the woman with her daughter who asked.

"Lily Evans."

"I thought you looked familiar...you assisted Healer Alcott when I had my son."

"And you...what's your name?"

"Mary...Mary Elliot."

"I remember you...your son's name is Luke, right?"

"Yes, and this," she gestured to the sleeping child in her arms, "is Elizabeth."

They fell into silence. Lily looked back at the blonde who was holding her wrist. Tears were sliding down her face. "Can I take a look at your wrist?"

She nodded and Lily carefully approached her. "What's your name?" Lily asked as she examined her wrist.

"Katie."

"Well, Katie, I think your wrist is broken." Lily tore more strips of cloth from her robes and wrapped them around Katie's injured wrist. "This isn't going to fix it, but at least it's stabilized and should heal properly."

"Thanks,"

"Your welcome."

Once again, they lapsed into silence. What else could they say to one another? How could they even begin to comfort one another when they were each suffering?

Dark haired woman who was sitting with her knees against her chest finally said what every one of them were thinking. "I can't take this any more. We've got to get out of here!"

"And how are we going to do that?" Katie asked. "The bottom line is that the Death Eaters have wands and we don't. How can we fight against that?"

000


	12. Escape

Escape

Chapter 12

James sat as his desk at the Auror department staring at a picture of him and Lily. It had been taken shortly after they had left Hogwarts. He had his arms around her waist and they were both laughing. Even now, it still seemed unbelievable that she had truly been his.

He mentally kicked himself. She still was his.

Just then, he heard quick footsteps behind him. He turned to see Mad–Eye walking up the row of cubicles toward him. When he reached James, Mad–Eye said, "We found it. One of the Death Eaters we arrested yesterday caved."

James flew out of his chair instantly. "Where is it?" he asked feverishly, as though he would Disapparate at any second.

"Hold on, Potter. First we'll assemble a team and figure out a plan." With that, he stalked off, James following in his wake.

000

Lily sat at the table, surrounded by her fellow prisoners. Mary was trying to get her daughter, Elizabeth to eat, but to very little avail. Lily thought that Elizabeth looked rather peaky and thin – generally not a good sign. The dark–haired woman who was sitting opposite of Lily, who's name she now knew was Claire, gave a cough. Lily looked at her. Claire lifted her knife, looked at it for a moment, and then put it in her lap. She then gave Lily a significant look. Lily nodded in understanding and copied what Claire had done.

Their knifes probably wouldn't cause much damage, Lily thought as they were marched back to their cell, but maybe, just maybe they could injure a Death Eater just long enough to get his wand. It wasn't much, but it was all the hope they had.

Once they were back in the cell, Lily and Claire placed the knives in corners of the room. Suddenly, the door opened. Two Death Eaters quickly entered and headed toward Lily. She glanced at Claire, who ever so slightly shook her head. The needed time to comme up with a plan.

For the first time since she had arrived, Lily went quietly with her captors. They gripped her arms so tightly that her fingertips were starting to go numb. But all she could think of were possible plans that she and Claire could discuss with the others. The finally stopped outside of a room. The Death Eater on her left let go of her as he pulled out his wand, while the other one pulled Lily's arms behind her back. He opened the door while the Death Eater behind Lily pushed her roughly into the room.

Once Lily's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, her heart began to race in panic. In the center of the room was a table that was about as high as her hips. At each corner of the rectangular table were shackles. Pupils dilating, she turned her attention to the walls. There were various whips hanging on there. A table against that wall held other dangerous and terrifying objects that Lily knew were not just for torture, but something much more – intimate.

As the frightening reality of what was about to happen to her sunk in, she instinctively tried to back away, but instead backed into the Death Eater who was holding her wrists and felt something bulging into her bottom. She highly doubted it was is wand.

She could feel her captor's hot breath on her neck. "Go ahead and fight Mudblood. It's so hot when you do."

She pulled away from him with all of the strength she could muster. Lily somehow managed to get out of his grasp – only to fall on the stone floor.

Both Death Eaters came down on her. She fought with all of her might – twisting, kicking, punching. She hit one of them in the stomach with a hard kick, heard a groan and thud as he hit the floor. But the other one's fist made contact with her temple.

Momentarily disorientated, the two Death Eaters managed to hoist Lily to her feet and onto the table.

But it all came flooding back – the masked men, the torturous sex toys, the impending danger she was faced with. She began to struggle anew, flailing like a fish out of water as the two men struggled to keep her in place . The somehow managed to pin her felt arm down long enough to chain it to the table. Lily cried out in fear and doubled her efforts of escape.

Lily suddenly flooded the room. She looked up to see something she never thought she would.

James was in the doorway, wand held aloft, his hazel eyes burning. With two jets of red light, the Death Eaters were on the floor, unconscious.

Then he was at her side, her arm was free and she was in his arms. He held her steady as she sobbed onto his shoulder. "I never thought I'd see you again," she cried.

"You didn't think I'd leave you here, did you?" he said. "Come on, we've got to get you out of here."

They broke apart and James reached into his robes and pulled out her wand. She took it gratefully before they ran out of the room.

The scene outside was complete chaos. Death Eaters and Aurors were dueling ferociously as prisoners tried to escape in the madness.

James pulled Lily by the hand, but she resisted. "We have to get the others!" Lily called out over the sounds of the battle.

He was momentarily torn. He wanted to get Lily out of here as quickly as possible, but the determination that was so clearly etched on her face made him cave. "Okay, where are they?"

Lily said, "This way!" before leading him down the corridor, dodging hexes and jinxes along the way. They finally reached the cell that Lily had been confined to for so long. She blasted the door open with her wand.

The startled women inside looked up at Lily and James in confusion. "What's going on, Lily?" asked Mary, gripping her daughter tightly.

"We're getting out of here! The Aurors found up, let's go!"

They didn't need telling twice; they immediately jumped up and headed for the door. With James in the lead, they made a run for the exit, once again dodging curses along the way.

After some time, they ran into Sirius, who had just stunned a Death Eater. "It's good to see you again, Lily," he beamed at her.

"Like wise," she replied.

With Sirius now in tow, they made it outside.

Lily deeply inhaled the cool night air and looked up at the star strewn sky. She never thought she'd see it again.

But she was suddenly pulled roughly down to the ground with James had gripped tightly around her own as curses flew over they're head.

James helped her back on her feet and said, "You have to get out of here," as he pulled out an empty butterbeer bottle tapped it with his wand and said, "_Portus,_"

"No way! I'm not leaving you here."

"Yes, you are. Everyone, gather around!" he called to the other women. "Everyone touch some part of this."

"I'll see you in a bit," James said to Lily. He tapped the bottle with his wand once more before Lily felt a pull from behind her navel as she was pulled into oblivion.


	13. Together Again

A/N: I know, its been forever and a day since my last update, but here it finally is: the last chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, you kept this story going!

Together Again

Moments later, Lily's feet slammed on to some kind of hard floor. Looking around, she immediately recognized it as St. Mungo's. Healers rushed to them in green blurs. She could hear one of them say, "Oh my God, it's Healer Evans!"

They tried to usher her into a room, but Lily said, "No, no, I'm fine. Help the others." But they still sent her into a room.

What seemed like an eternity later, after she had been poked, prodded, stuck, and her left wrist had been repaired, Lily sat in her bed at St. Mungo's, starting at the opposite wall. James had not returned. She was nearly stick with worry. What had happened? Had he been hurt? Had he been killed? Had he been taken here, to St. Mungo's? Was he lying in a bed just like this one, possibly dying of some terrible curse from a Death Eater?

Lily heaved a deep sigh. She shouldn't be thinking like this. James was tough, he'd be fine.

There was a knock on the door. A Healer stuck her head in the doorway. "Ms. Evans? There's someone here to see you."

Lily nodded and sat up straighter in bed. In came James, all but running to her bedside. She flung her arms around his neck as he sat on the edge of her bed. Tears fell from her green eyes as he looked at her.

"Hey, now," James said soothingly as he wiped her tears away. "Everything's going to be fine." He leaned forward and kissed her.

She had almost forgotten how amazing his kisses were. She wanted to drowned in it.

Once they broke apart, Lily leaned against his shoulder as his arm enclosed her waist. After several minutes of comfortable silence, James said, " You probably need to get some sleep."

Lily felt childish for asking, but she had said her thoughts aloud before she could stop herself. "Will you stay here until I fall asleep?"

James smiled at her. "I'll be here when you wake up."

They kissed again before Lily laid back against the bed and immediately fell asleep.

000

Lily had been staying with James since she had been discharged from St. Mungo's nearly two weeks ago. As much as she hated to admit it, she was afraid to stay in her apartment. It was bad enough to relive her attack when she wasn't at the place it occurred. So she had grabbed a bunch of clothes and moved in with James and Sirius, though she was looking for a place of her own.

Lily was lounging on the couch when James came in. Without so much as a hello, James said, "Come with me, I want to show you something."

"What's with the urgency?"

"I just really want you to see something." He extended his hand, which she took. Once she was standing, he Disapparated, taking Lily with him.

They stood in the middle of a yard, facing a two-story home. James took her by the hand and led her into the house. It was completely empty.

James gave her a tour of the house. First they went through the bottom level, which had a large living room, kitchen, dining room, and bathroom. Then they headed upstairs.

"So are you thinking of buying this house?" Lily asked James as they went through the bedrooms.

"Technically, no...I already bought it."

Lily spun her head so quickly it hurt. "What?"

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, its just..."

"It's just what?"

"Well, its just kind of big for just yourself."

"I wasn't planning on living by myself."

"Oh, really?"

James nodded as he took Lily's hands in his. "I was hoping that you would move in with me. But not just that," he continued as Lily opened her mouth to speak. "I want to spent the rest of my life with you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. Lily's eyes grew wide and filled with tears.

"Will you marry me?"

She was momentarily stunned; she stood there just looking at James before she flung her arms around his neck and said, "Yes, yes of course I'll marry you!"

James slid the ring onto her left hand. It was a perfect fit. She looked at it for a moment before she kissed him.

After they broke apart, Lily said, "So you don't mind to getting into more trouble because you're married to me?"

James laughed. "It's a risk that I'm more than willing to take."


End file.
